Has the new DS 4 raised its performance to the level of German premium models? First elements of answer thanks to this comparative test carried out against the reference Audi A3 Sportback. A match made with plug-in hybrid engines.
Cars to test: Audi A3 Sportback vs DS DS4
| Audi A3 Sportback 40 TFSI e S line | |
|---|---|
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€ 47,080 € 1,000 bonus
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| DS DS4 E-Tense 225 Performance Line + | |
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€ 45,100 € 1,000 bonus
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The new DS 4 starts its career with a plug-in hybrid version, tax important for companies and which avoids the penalty while having a comfortable power. This 225 hp E-Tense engine, already seen on board the DS 7 Crossback and DS 9, is the top-of-the-range version of the French to oppose premium models also available in PHEV.
The DS 4 thus joins the Audi A3 Sportback, the precursor of the plug-in hybrid in this category with its e-tron version launched in 2015 on the previous model. Today, the German offers on its latest generation two plug-in hybrid versions of 204 and 245 hp, called TFSI e. This is the 204 hp version which serves as a reference for this match against the DS 4. Audi displays 21 hp less than the French, but its torque is almost equal (350 Nm vs 360 Nm), and the two models announce a mixed 100% electric range above the 55 km WLTP.
Side by side, the two cars made in Germany (the DS is built at Opel in Rüsselsheim) contrast as much in style as in color. The DS 4 offers an assertive design, between classic sedan and crossover, which gives it a massive look against an A3 certainly muscular, but which seems almost frail next to it. It is true that the size of the DS is greater than it in three dimensions, with a length of 4.40 m (+ 6 cm), a width of 1.86 m (+ 4 cm) and a height of 1.47 m excluding the antenna ( + 2 cm). The contrasting roof, the large daytime running lights which visually widen the car and the optional 20-inch rims also contribute to the sturdy appearance of the Frenchwoman.
DS 4 Performance Line + price
With a price of € 45,100 in our Performance Line + version, the DS is unashamedly positioned at the heart of its segment. Just is she € 2,000 more affordable than the Audi A3, with equivalent finish. But at this level of the range its equipment is much more complete, with a very beautiful interior all Alcantara, head-up display, voice recognition, active suspension. However, some equipment remains optional. You have to add € 800 to afford 360 ° cameras, € 400 for the motorized tailgate, € 1,250 for the beautiful Focal Hi-Fi system, € 700 for the electric driver’s seat, € 250 for the induction charger and € 550 to complete the adaptive regulator of active assistance to line following in the context of semi-autonomous driving. Our test car thus had more than € 10,000 in options. It starts to cost for a compact!
Audi A3 Sportback S line price
At Audi, with € 47,080, the S line version is positioned a little higher than the DS. While some equipment is incompatible with this engine, such as the active suspension, it goes through supplements to join the endowment of its competitor. The optional Dinamica seats (close to the Alcantara, € 680), dark-tinted rear windows (€ 450), sign reading (€ 310), adaptive regulator (€ 710), matrix LED headlights (850 €) are therefore optional. €)… It also charges for the electric seats (€ 860), the electric tailgate (€ 450) or the wireless charger (€ 190). In short, if the DS seems expensive to you, it is to be put into perspective against an even more expensive Audi, especially if we take into account the options it needs to offer the same services. Be careful not to exceed € 50,000 on the bill, which would prevent access to the hybrid bonus of € 1,000 offered until the end of the year.
To drive
Even with our optional 20 inch rims, the DS 4 remains a model of gentleness thanks to its particularly filtering active damping, especially in Comfort mode. This is where the windshield camera reads the terrain of the road to anticipate the reactions of the suspensions and even more to spare the passenger’s vertebrae. The watchword is therefore comfort on board. However, the behavior of the DS 4 does not lack rigor. You just have to deal with a smoother cornering attack and very filtered road climbs in the direction compared to the more direct side of the Audi. Safe and serene, the DS ensures but does not play sports despite its generous power of 225 hp. Soundproofing is also much more extensive here, benefiting from laminated side windows (option at € 250).
Electric autonomy side, on a route alternating road and city traveled at a leisurely pace, the DS surrendered after 39 km when the Audi still had 10 km of reserve, finally abdicating after 47 km. As for recharging, if neither of them accepts fast charging like the Mercedes A-Class PHEV, the DS’s integrated charger is more powerful, with 7.4 kW compared to just 3.6 kW for the A3. . Result: the first can recharge to 100% in 1 h 40 on a Wallbox or a public terminal when the second requires 4 h 20! In both cases, recharging should not be relied on for long journeys, but for daily use in 100% electric power, with batteries of 12.4 kWh in gross capacity for the DS and 13 kWh for Audi.
Both models offer the possibility of defining a percentage of the battery remaining for electric driving in the city center for example, and a recharging mode makes it possible to use the heat engine to charge the battery while driving. To be avoided, however, given the overconsumption that this generates. Once the batteries were empty, in hybrid driving we noticed on a quiet mixed route a drink of 7 l / 100 km on the DS and 6 l / 100 km for the Audi, more sober. The two tanks have seen their capacity reduced in the PHEV version, with 40 l in both cases.
The sporty look of the Audi is fairly consistent with the sensations that this PHEV version can offer, with a temporary boost by crushing the accelerator pedal. Despite a mass very close to 1635 kg, it seems lighter and livelier thanks to its firmer suspensions (but neither active nor lowered, even in S line) and its more precise steering. The four-cylinder turbo heat engine is more present here to the ear when it engages and gives the impression of sharper acceleration than those of the DS 4, while the cars cross the 100 km / h mark. more or less the same time.
More responsive in EV mode as in hybrid, the Audi is a little more fun behind the wheel. The driving modes are selected in the two models by means of a physical button allowing to force the electric if the battery allows it, but also to choose a more economical or more efficient mode. If neither offers one-pedal driving in electric mode, the regeneration level is adjustable in the Audi menus and with a B mode on the DS transmission.
Audi’s optional semi-autonomous driving system, capable of anticipating city entrances limited to 50 km / h or adapting to bends, is highly efficient. It thus gives a foretaste of the similar system that will be offered by DS a few months after the launch of the car, next year. Finally, note that the A3 is also offered in a 45 TFSI e Competition version of 245 hp (€ 45,810), while the DS should see the appearance of a version of E-Tense 180 hp, which equips the new Peugeot 308. .
On board
In terms of interior presentation, the DS surprises its world with great attention to detail and an original and refined design. A completely different philosophy from that of Audi, sportier with its cockpit facing the driver and its very high-tech appearance.
Tastes and colors cannot be discussed, but the quality of the materials is. However, precisely, the Audi having lost in refinement with the advent of its latest generation and the DS bringing particular care, the hierarchy is here challenged. Just look at the door panels, especially at the back, to see how DS has given itself the means to refine both tactile and visual aspects, with strong foamed coverings and applications of very neat genuine leather, where Audi is satisfied with too basic rigid plastics and faux leathers …
Let’s stay in the rear seats to discuss their reception capacity. There, the A3 clearly takes over with an otherwise more generous legroom, despite a shorter wheelbase of 4 cm. The DS largely takes the hand on the other hand for its trunk volume. The plug-in hybrid versions are cut at this level, but there are 390 l left in the French compact, for just 280 l in the A3. Or less than a small A1!
Info-entertainment question, Audi and DS compete with modern and configurable systems to present a welcome screen in the center of the dashboard adapted to individual tastes. On the other hand, the narrow digital speedometer of the DS 4 with the medium definition disappoints in comparison with what offers the A3 with its beautiful virtual cockpit. In terms of ergonomics, the Audi is a little more consistent than a DS, where it is possible to go through different vectors to intervene in the settings, between the small touch pad of the console (access to favorites, zoom, writing of a destination), the touch screen, the buttons for direct access to the driving aids or to the air conditioning, the steering wheel controls and the Commodo for the display of the instrumentation… When c is his car, we should be able to make it our own, but in a rental car not sure that it works.
